Foolishness
by The Kookie
Summary: As a child, Mrs. Lovett chased after a stray cat with jet black fur. Better than it sounds. I'm bad at summaries.


**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.**

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When Nellie Lovett was younger, she thought nothing of pies or work or any dark thoughts like murder. She was a happy girl, despite her shaky home life. Her father was never home and her mother always seemed to have something better to do then care for her own child. So Nellie grew up a frivolous, slightly unguided child.

However, she had always loved animals when she was a little girl. She would even give stray dogs and cats food when she had some scraps, ignoring her mother's scoldings of how it was "unsanitary". The animal that she had always loved the most however was a small alley cat that she simply named "Sea". Why the unusual name? She simply knew the cat would love the sea as much as she did. She had never been there before, but Nellie knew from pictures that she would love it.

Sea was a rather mangy cat, jet black except for a streak of white across one ear. Her mother insisted that the cat must have been burned somehow and the fur had grown back white. Sea was a rather unusual cat however. All stray cats were afraid of people but this one seemed to harbor a great anger towards them. Whenever Nellie looked in its eyes, she swore she could see pain within the great brown depths.

"Someone must 'ave 'urt that cat somethin' awful," she proclaimed to her mother one evening. Her mother had simply brushed her off, thinking that it was just foolish, childish chatter.

One day, Nellie returned to the alley to meet Sea with the intention of bringing him home with her. Her mother had finally allowed her to have one pet if it was small and somewhat clean. When the cat arrived, she fed it a small piece of meat and then scooped it into her arms, cradling it close to her body. In a flash, the cat turned feral, clawing at her arms and creating long red scratches. She dropped the animal immediately, studying the scratches running along her arms before glancing at the cat with a sad expression on her face. The cat simply turned away, cold and unforgiving as always, and stalked back to where another cat waited. This one was different. It was a smaller feline with a yellow coat and brilliant blue eyes that gazed at Nellie for a moment before they both disappeared out of sight. In that second, Nellie wished that she had blond hair. She wished that she was somehow as appealing as that cat was. Sea was suppose to come with her.

Brokenhearted, little Nellie returned home, sobbing when she saw her mother. The older woman, knowing something was wrong, rushed to her child and examined the scratches.

"What happened love?" she questioned in a lilting English accent that was laden with concern. Nellie wiped her eyes with her other hand, calming herself slightly before speaking.

"I don't think it wanted t' be with me. There was another cat it liked better," she explained in a wavering voice. Her mother gave her a sympathetic smile and hugged her close before going to get some water to wash the cut with.

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Many years later, Mrs. Lovett remembered Sea as she sat in that large chair in the back room of her pie shop. He had never wanted to be with her. He had already been hurt too much over the years. He trusted no one and, besides, he already had his friend, the pretty little yellow cat. Mrs. Lovett hoped Sea was happy with that other cat, wondering how foolish she was to love something as untamed and untrusting as Sea. Creatures like Sea could hardly love again, after they had been hurt so badly.

"Mrs. Lovett." The stern voice jerked her out of her thoughts and she glanced up at the man standing in front of her. "There's another one waitin' for you downstairs. You best hurry before the rigor mortis sets in." Mrs. Lovett stood quickly, giving the man a soft smile.

"O' course Mr. T.," she replied, with a slight nod. "I didn' mean t' daydream like that." Giving him one last, fond smile, she started towards the stairs that led down to the oven and meat grinder. Mr. T. she had to love him. He was her only friend and he had been beginning to show some feelings towards her. Smiling at this, she opened the heavy iron door and stepped inside.

Yes, how very foolish of her.


End file.
